Carrot Orange

The other day I found myself skulking around down in a ditch, stalking Queen Anne’s Lace for the sake of a photo.  Another name for this plant is Wild Carrot, but that orange glow at the bottom of the scene is not from carrots…..

Its coming from a crowd of these orange Day-Lilies, which long ago “escaped from gardens”, according to the wildflower book.  They grow in large patches here and there along the roadsides in our area. 

Cat on a Tire

Move over, cat on a hot tin roof…..make room for cat on a cool tire.

This next elongated photo reminds me of the tall skinny mirror we had on the wall when I was growing up.  We’d primp and preen within its slimming frame.  With one of those around, you never need to diet.

Bye for now…..I’m off to go mirror-shopping!

Bad Petal Day

Hee, hee, hee…..I caught this here coneflower havin’ a bad petal day!

I can readily sympathize…..most every day is a bad hair day for me!

Double Double Coneflower

With great anticipation I’ve awaited the blossoming of my Pink Double Delight coneflower…..

Its so much of a thrill that I decided to do a double posting of this double coneflower photo, the second one being altered, however, by effects called “old paper” and “red tint”…..

Bee Balm

Decked out in court jester top hat is Bee Balm….

This member of the mint family grows wild in the eastern U.S., but not here in Iowa, so this plant was purchased and planted here on our farmstead several years ago.  Bee Balm has the most wonderful warm herby aroma which can be enjoyed by rubbing a leaf between your fingers. 

Turk’s Cap Lily

Showing off its wildflower fashion sense today is Turk’s Cap Lily….

Not too shy to display an intriguing rear view….

And, how about these charming freckles…..

Prairie Patch Update

Yesterday, I decided it was time to take another trek across the hayfield to check on the prairie patch.  Along the way, I saw this dickcissel acting out a “king of the twig bush” role:

Here’s how the prairie patch looks right now with its collection of swaying grasses and congregation of blooming milkweed in the background.  I waded in for a ways and found coneflowers and wild bergamot in the budding stage.

Bordering the hayfield is a drainage creek area where this dragonfly was alternately hovering and flitting.  A quick online search revealed its name to be Twelve-Spotted Skimmer.

Swamp Milkweed

Milkweeds prefer pink, apparently.  Here is the type known as Swamp Milkweed….with a few cute peek-a-boo blossoms beginning to open:

Its flowers somewhat resemble those of the Common and Sullivant’s Milkweed, but Swamp Milkweed’s leaves and stem are quite a bit different.  Its flowerhead bundles grow atop a taller, more slender stem, and the leaves are narrow and pointed.

Sullivant’s Milkweed

Yesterday, while on my daily traipse along the road by our farm, I made the acquaintance of Sullivant’s Milkweed:

Its looks different than the Common Milkweed, which I blogged about several days ago.  In overall plant size, the Sullivant’s Milkweed is smaller, the bundles of blossoms are less dense, and there is a more pinkish pink color to the flowers and leaf veins.  

Most likely, this milkweed variant resided there in our roadside ditch in previous years, but I had failed to peer closely enough to notice its distinguishing features.

Red Lily

Finally managed to get a decent photo of this lily, which started blooming about a week ago.  Over and over, with hope in my heart, I would snap photos of it, but the results were disappointing.  Annoying glare, unsightly bugs, or unruly petals tended to spoil the scene.  I still have the tag from when this lily was purchased---its an Asiatic type, its name being “Tiny Ghost”.

View From a Crouch

Sometimes, the viewpoint must be changed….

…..otherwise, the view never changes.

A couple mornings ago, I stood gazing down for the umpteenth time at the backyard flower garden, impatiently turning my camera’s viewfinder this way and that.  Finally, I modified my stance to a crouch and was more pleased with what I saw from the the less-usual viewpoint.

Timothy Grass

If the wind had stopped blowing and if a macro lens existed amongst my possessions, I might have been able to get a better close-up picture of this blooming Timothy Grass in all its purple-tinged glory.  Actually, I didn’t even know that grasses could “bloom”!  By some freak act of camera nature, the upper part of this next photo ended up somewhat clearly focused:

Sedge & Horsetail

I kid you not….the name of the prickly-topped plant shown in this photo is Troublesome Sedge!

Look very closely and you’ll see a tiny bug sitting on one of the prickles.  Also in the photo is a black-spotted knob-headed plant whose official name is Intermediate Horsetail.  Its stem grows in sections which can be pulled apart and put back together again, another fascinating farm-kid activity I engaged in many years ago.  Back then, we called this plant “snake grass”.  It can grow to be several feet tall---here’s a better view of its segmented anatomy:

Opening Soon

On a recent evening, I was prowling around in the yard, stalking flowers to photograph and discovered this well-whiskered one poised to perform an opening act in the very near future:

It is some sort of daisy-type flower originating in that assorted package of seeds I scattered a couple of years ago.  

Common Milkweed

Hey, exciting news---the milkweeds are starting to bloom!  Currently, our roadside ditch is loaded with these rosy pink blossoms of the Common Milkweed:  On the verge of blooming very soon are the Swamp Milkweed and here is a preview of them:

   

For most of my life, I figured there was only one kind of milkweed, the one known as Common Milkweed, though I knew it simply as “milkweed”.  Then, a few years ago I began to take an interest in wildflowers and bought a couple of wildflower identification books which led to my learning that there are actually several types of milkweed.  Who would have thought???

When I was a kid, I was so mean---I’d find a milkweed plant and break its stem just to see the white liquid ooze out.  It reminded me of Elmer’s Glue and I think I even tried to glue something together with it once.

Orange Lily

These bright orange lilies recently started blooming in the dooryard and every time I walk out of the house---whether morning, afternoon, or evening---it seems I see them in a new light.

Then, like the insane person that I am, I often rush back into the house, grab my camera and dash back outdoors to snap more photos.  This one was taken on a cloudy morning, offering just the right amount of light for photographing a colorful flower.  No sunshiny glare was there, thus no photo editing necessary.  In the background is a hanging basket of purple lobelia. 

Effigy Mounds Wrap-up

Here’s one final look at various sights from my recent day trip to Effigy Mounds National Monument in northeast Iowa. 

This first photo looks south from Eagle Point overlook.  The Mississippi River bridge between Marquette, Iowa, and Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, is visible in the distance:

Before the trip, I read up on the history of Effigy Mounds National Monument.  In the early 1900’s, there were efforts made to have the area designated as a national park.  However, after touring this part of the Mississippi valley, an official from Washington declared the scenery to be good, but not extraordinary enough to warrant national park status.  The consolation prize title of “national monument” was eventually bestowed.

Making their appearance along the hiking trail were these columbine:

And, this apparently very popular woodpecker hangout:

I’m thinking the holes in this next tree weren’t made by woodpeckers.  They appeared to be nesting holes…..a virtual highrise apartment complex for birds or squirrels or whomever: 

I really liked this striking congregation of ferns and had forgotten that they grow wild in the woods up here:

 

Ok, that wraps up my pleasant and enjoyable day away from the farm.  If you ever travel to northeast Iowa, be sure to visit Effigy Mounds National Monument and Pike’s Peak State Park.  In my opinion, the best scenery in the state can be found there!

A Peek at Pike’s Peak

After hiking at Effigy Mounds, I travelled a few miles south to Pike’s Peak State Park, also situated high atop a tree-covered bluff.  The park has a fantastic promontory-like overlook platform, offering a safe and superb view up and down the Mississippi River.  While gazing at the awesome scenery, I was serenaded by this gorgeous indigo bunting!

This next photo looks northward, up the Mississippi River.  A barge can be seen, patiently waiting for the next tugboat to come along and give it a push.

Looking downriver, you see the Wisconsin River flowing into the Mississippi.  Remember Marquette and Joliet, the French explorers?  They paddled their canoes down the Wisconsin River, eventually colliding with the Mightly Mississippi right here:

After filling up on river scenery, I headed down the wooden walkway…..

…..which leads eventually to Bridal Veil Falls:

Like the place of the same name in Colorado, Iowa’s Pike’s Peak was named for Zebulon Pike, who explored this area in the early 1800’s, looking for a suitable location for a fort.  He chose this blufftop site, but it was rejected due to the fact that there are Indian mounds here.  I saw the bear mound which rests a little bit north of the river overlook and the conical mounds at Deer Ridge in the woods south of the overlook.  

Effigy Mounds Prairie

While at Effigy Mounds National Monument, I hiked the four-mile trail to Third Scenic View which provides the opportunity to gawk at Hanging Rock and sights upriver to the north.

Along the way, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the trail skirted a prairie area which bordered the west side of the woods.

 

The sunlit field was aglow with green, touched with a sprinkling of beautiful blue. (What a coincidence---blue and green is my favorite color combination!)

   Closer inspection revealed the blue hues to be a multitude of spiderwort…..

…..and, wild lupine…..

You probably noticed the oriole in the second photo.  On the trail through the woods, I also caught a glimpse of a flicker and a rose-breasted grosbeak, but could not catch them on camera.

Effigy Mounds Critters

I had plenty of company along the Effigy Mounds hiking trail, mostly creatures of a quiet nature.

A bashful peek-a-boo deer…..

A fritillary butterfly…..

Some sort of snail….

A napping snake…..

And, a friendly chipmunk who did noticeably announce his presence as he skittered and scurried through the underbrush…..